Mozenrath's Surprise
by Soulfire
Summary: Mozenrath gets a surprise from his past! This story is a little old, so please be kind when reviewing it. ; )
1. Chapter One

A small, thin girl made her way through the streets of Agrabah. The girl, named Xania, looked to be around fifteen, had medium length black hair and hazel eyes. She noticed some men walking into a building with a door that had the eerie look of a skull. Noticing how empty her stomach was, she followed a man into the building.   
There were many men sitting around on the floor, or on tables eating, drinking, and talking. A man walked up to another man behind a table, and shouted, "Pheasant sandwich!"  
The man, apparently a cook, quickly created a sandwich, and handed it to the second man. Xania approached the cook, and gave the same command. He looked at her strangely, but tossed her a sandwich and drink. After thanking him, Xania found a seat in the corner so she could think things through.  
Now, if she was going to find out if her brother was living in Agrabah, then she would have to hurry. The trading caravan she was traveling with were only staying here for a few days. It had been so long since she had last seen her brother; would she even recognize him? She had been six when father had sent Mozenrath away to work under Desdain, her brother being around eleven at the time. She had been twelve when she and her mother had left father, and she was sixteen now. That would make Mozenrath in his twenties - if he was still alive.  
"Only thieves allowed in the Skull and Dagger!" A large man standing in front of Xania bellowed.  
She frowned. "Says who?"  
"Says me. Now get out before I throw you out, like I did 'Butterfingers' over there."  
Xania looked towards the man he had called 'Butterfingers.' He was a scrawny man, who was scrambling to get out if the thieves' quarters.  
"I will leave if you answer one question."  
"No questions, street-mouse. Get out now." The large man grabbed her, and threw her out of the building. She landed with a thump on the sandy ground.  
"Lousy jackal!" Xania shouted. Her curses were only met with laughter from inside the building.   
"Are you okay?" A masculine voice asked.  
Xania looked up to see a tall young man standing in front of her.   
"That's Skull and Dagger," the man explained, "Don't you know that's a den of thieves?"  
"I do now."  
"You must be new around here. You need to be more careful. What made you come to Agrabah?"  
"I came to find my brother," Xania stated as she stood up.   
"Well, I'm Aladdin," said the young man. "I'll help you find your brother. What's his name?"  
"Mozenrath."  
  
**********  
  
"But...my lord...just a few more days. I know I can aid you..."  
Mozenrath sent a hurling blast of bluish black energy towards the young woman. She ducked, just barely avoiding it.   
"Your puny magic tricks are of no use to me," he stated. "I need someone with REAL power. A type of power I do not have yet. Get out before I blast you to pieces."  
The sorcerer sighed as the frightened woman ran out. He had thought she would be the one. She had seemed powerful at the time, although he had been slightly influenced by her beautiful looks. Xerxes swam up to his master.  
"Girl no please master?"  
"No."  
"Want me to search for new magic person?"  
Mozenrath sighed again. "No."  
"Why?"  
"BECAUSE I SAID SO, XERXES!"  
The eel quickly flew off into another room in order to escape the wrath of his master.  
The sorcerer leaned over the open book on the table, scanning them for new information.  
"Blast these spell books!" Mozenrath shouted. "All of these books, and not one spell I haven't tried. I've no more to learn here!"  
He had studied every day for eleven years in Desdain's immense library, learning more and more each day. Now that he had studied it all, what more was there to learn?   
"Jafar!" he said suddenly. "He has spell books! I must pay a visit to my uncle's chambers, and 'borrow' them."  
He laughed wickedly as he split the air, and stepped into a black hole.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~  
  
Xania lay on the bed, listening to the conversation that was being held a few rooms away. Aladdin had insisted she stay with him in the palace until he got the whole thing figured out.  
"But, Aladdin, we can't hand her over to Mozenrath." The princess protested.  
"Apparently, he's the only family she has left. Wouldn't it be wrong to keep her from him?"  
The princess sighed. "I just don't know. I hate to think of what Mozenrath might do to her."  
Xania frowned. Hadn't she showed them that she could take care of herself? She had entered a den of thieves and came out alive. And she had lived with her abusive father for five years. That should prove that she was tough.   
"Jasmine, I know what you mean, but..."  
An unfamiliar voice spoke up. "Yeah, so whatever we do, we can't tell her that her brother is in the Land of the Black Sand, right?"  
"Shhh! Genie, keep it down!"  
Xania perked up. The Land of the Black Sand? That should be easy enough to find. She slowly got up, careful not to make any noise. She crept out of the room and into the hallway.  
"Now, where would they keep the maps..." Xania whispered to herself. She leaned against a wall, and was startled when it gave way, throwing her into some sort of secret passageway. She walked down the passage, coming into a large room. It was so familiar . . . She stepped inside, shuddering as her memory received a jolt from what had gone on in the room.  
  
((((((((((FLASHBACK))))))))))  
  
"Xania, find the scroll about the scarab," bellowed a tall, dark man.  
Five-year old Xania quickly fetched the scroll and handed it to her uncle as he sat at a table with her older brother.  
Jafar grabbed the paper without uttering a word of gratitude.  
"Now, nephew, pay attention. This is the golden scarab. It will show us the way to the Cave of Wonders. There, a genie is buried. He will grant us our hearts' desires!"  
Xania bravely spoke up. "Can I wish for a horsy?"  
"Shut up, stupid girl," Jafar's brother growled, pushing his daughter roughly away from him. "You will not waste wishes on such nonsense."  
Ten-year old Mozenrath grinned and sent a small burst of bluish-black magic hurling at his little sister. However, it disappeared before it reached her.  
"Mozenrath! You can't be the most powerful sorcerer in the seven deserts with magic that puny! Now, back to studying! You'll be leaving to study under Desdain in a few days.   
Xania, get out of our sight, you worthless girl. You're not wanted here!"  
  
((((((((((FLASHFORWARD))))))))))  
  
A tear slipped down her cheek as her father's words rang in her   
head: 'You're not wanted here.'  
She sank to the floor, sobbing as she tried to clear his voice from her mind.  
She had been crying for several minutes when a flash of bluish-black light filled the room. Xania stopped sobbing, and watched in wonder as the air split apart, and a tall form stepped out. The man looked to be in his twenties, with jet-black hair down to his neck, and hard hazel eyes. He spotted her, and glared.   
"What are you doing here? Get out before I blast you into the next city..."  
Mozenrath stared at the girl. She somehow looked familiar. Her jet-black hair was cut to her shoulders, her eyes were light green, and her skin was fairly dark. Her eyes looked so familiar...  
"What are *you* doing here?" she shot back. "These are my uncle's chambers and you have no right . . . .M...Mozenrath?" She stuttered.   
The sorcerer's memory clicked the moment she said his name. "Xania?" Mozenrath stared at the girl, amazed at how much his sister had grown since he had last seen her. He looked her over carefully. "How old are you now?"  
"Sixteen. And you are twenty one, right?"  
He nodded, and then noticing the tear stains on Xania's face, he looked away.   
"What's wrong with you?" He asked, as he busied himself with looking through a nearby book. Xania arched an eyebrow. "What?"  
Mozenrath looked up from his book, and replied, "Your face."  
Xania quickly wiped her tears away, trying to regain her tough-girl attitude. "Nothing. All this dust is just making my eyes water."  
Mozenrath set the book down, and looked around for another. He didn't believe her story, but he did not care to hear the real one.  
"So, what are you doing here?"  
"I was looking for a map so I could find you."  
"Why were you looking for me?"  
Xania looked around at the spooky room. It brought back so many awful memories.  
"I . . . wanted to find you. You're the only family I have left."  
Mozenrath looked up from his new book momentarily. Xania couldn't see his reaction because his back was to her.  
"Mother's dead?" He asked, sounding unconcerned. He looked back down at his book, and turned a page.  
"Yes. We were traveling with a caravan to Getzastan, and were attacked by marauders. Only three survived."  
"How'd you get into the palace undetected?"  
Xania picked up a charm from the floor, trying to remember where she had seen it before.  
"The prince brought me here. But he and the princess wouldn't tell me where you were, so I snuck down here after I overheard some man say where you lived."  
Mozenrath faced her, frowning. "You told them we were related?" When Xania nodded innocently, he glared at the girl. "You were lucky they didn't execute you on the spot."  
"Why are you here?" Xania asked as she put the charm in her pocket and looked around for anything else familiar.  
"Research," the sorcerer stated, looking through a tattered book. "I need more power."  
Xania shrugged, and walked over to a dusty corner. Her mind gave a jolt as another painful memory was recalled.  
  
((((((((((FLASHBACK))))))))))  
  
"You worthless girl! I want to know what you're good for? You can't do magic, you can't work, you can't dance...and you will never attract a decent husband with your looks! I don't know why I keep you around!"  
Young Xania cried out as he was thrown into a corner by a burst of her father's magic.  
"I want you to get out of my sight and never return until you are worth something! Do you hear me? Now go!"  
  
((((((((((FLASHFORWARD))))))))))  
  
"Well?"  
Xania brought her mind back to the present as she fought back tears. "Well what?"  
Mozenrath sighed angrily. "I said, 'Are you coming with me?'"  
Xania turned to face her brother slowly. "Where to?"  
"My home."  
Xania nodded as she walked over to him. He noticed that her eyes were starting to water again, but he shrugged it off as he grabbed her arm and they disappeared in a ball of black flames. They reappeared in the citadel's throne room seconds later.  
"Welcome to my kingdom, sister. The Land of the Black Sand."  
Xania was astonished. "*Your* kingdom? Since when?"  
"Since about six years ago," Mozenrath stated proudly.  
Xerxes flew up to his master, curling around his neck.  
"No trouble, master. Everything quiet."  
"Good." When he saw his sister's confused look, he smiled. "This is my familiar, Xerxes. Xerxes, this is my sister, Xania."  
"Master have sibling?" the eel asked as he flew closer to get a better look.  
"Yes, he do," Xania retorted, making fun of Xerxes' choppy speech. "And master's sibling would like to know how he conquered a kingdom at the age of sixteen."  
Mozenrath bowed. "It's a long story, best left untold. What matters now is that I am ruler." He looked her over, frowning. "You are in serious need of a bath and some new clothes. Xerxes, take her to the guests' chambers. Xania, you may have whatever's in there."  
The flying eel led the girl down the dark passageways. Xania was in awe of the magnificent architecture: it was strange, but beautiful. There couldn't be anything like it anywhere else in the world.  
Xerxes stopped at a large door on the left side of the hallway. "This your room. Master tell you to take bath. Bath over there,"Xerxes said, nodding towards a chamber down the hall.  
Xania opened her door as Xerxes quietly swam away. She gaped at the size of the room. It was the largest she'd ever seen in her life! Why, even the princess of Agrabah's room couldn't be this large!  
She crossed the room, admiring the fancy rugs on the floor. Opening the closet, she found more articles of clothing than she had ever seen in one place before. There were dresses of all colors of the rainbow, and shoes to match. Pants and vests, blouses and stockings; there was nothing the huge closet didn't have.  
Xania walked over to her new bed, and sat on its' edge. She was surprised to see that she nearly sank into the bed! It was the softest she had ever touched. Xania giggled. Surely this room surpassed the luxuries of even the sultan's chambers!  
"I trust everything is to your liking?"  
Xania turned round to see her brother leaning casually on the door frame. She was beaming with delight.  
"Oh, Mozenrath! It's more than I ever hoped to have in my lifetime!"  
Mozenrath smiled slightly at his sister's enthusiasm. "Only the best in *my* citadel."  
"It's incredible! Did father know about this?"  
Mozenrath quickly frowned. "No. I never saw him again after I left. Anyway," Mozenrath said casually, "the bathing quarters are down the hall, to your right. Let Xerxes know if you need anything, and I might let you have it."  
She nodded as she walked past him, and skipped off to take a bath. Mozenrath watched his sister enter the bathing chamber and close the door.  
"Master like sibling?" Xerxes asked.  
"I haven't decided yet," Mozenrath said thoughtfully. He then turned to his familiar, and frowned. "But, it's hardly any of your business, now is it?"  
Xerxes shook his head, and wrapped himself around Mozenrath's neck. The sorcerer walked slowly into his throne room, trying to decide what he was going to do with his sister. It was out of the question to keep her--unless she had some magic that he could use. Xania had been terrible at magic when they had lived with father; that was the reason father had favored him over her. So, what could be done with her? Trade her as a slave to some trading caravan? Turn her into a mamluk and make her his servant? There were limited possibilities here.  
Xerxes left his place on his maser's shoulders to fly about the citadel, looking for food. Mozenrath sighed as he watched his familiar leave. He walked onto the balcony of the citadel, and looked out over his land, lost in daydreams of his past.  
  
  
A noise behind him made Mozenrath jump. It was Xania approaching the throne room with Xerxes at her side. She stepped out into the room, and twirled around to show off her new outfit.  
"Do you like it?" she asked.  
Mozenrath had to admit that she looked much better. Although she had chosen one of the simpler dresses to wear, it fit her well. She wore a long, dark blue dress that was trimmed with gold around the waist. Her black hair had been washed  
well, and it now shone in the light.  
"Quite a transformation," Mozenrath muttered.  
Xania smiled, happy to get any kind of compliment from her older brother, even if it was small.  
Mozenrath looked her over, surprised at how much she looked like mother.   
"What are you looking at?" she asked.  
"You have father's eyes."  
"Is that a compliment or an insult?"  
Mozenrath shrugged."Whatever you want it to be."  
She walked out onto the balcony with him and looked over at the city. It was quite dark, even for night. Xania shrugged it off. At least she had finally found her brother.  
"Well, I'm going to bed now, if you don't mind."  
"Whatever you want."  
Xania skipped off to her new room, as Mozenrath shook his head in discust.  
"She has too much energy," he grumbled.  
----------  
Xania jumped into her new bed and pulled the soft covers up around her. Suddenly, she remembered the gold medallion she had picked up from Jafar's room. She had left it in her cloak pocket. She jumped out bed and pulled the medallion out of the pocket. Hopping back in bed,  
she tried to remember what was so familiar about it.  
It had something to do with a spell. Some kind of spell had been used with it...a...curse. Xania gasped. Now she remembered! The day she and mother had left, father had used it to curse mother for leaving him! He had said that Mother would die within four years of that date.  
The marauder attack must have been part of that curse! Tears sprang to Xania's eyes and spilled over onto her face.  
It had been father's fault that mother died! It was all his fault! All of the horrible things she had lived through were remembered. She spent the hour reliving her experiences in her mind. All of the times she had been beaten...all of the times she had been looked down upon...they all came back to her.  
With her pillow soaking wet, and no tears left to cry, Xania sat up in bed, resting her head on her knees. Her door suddenly opened, and Xerxes flew in, followed by Mozenrath.  
"Why master's sibling cry?" asked the eel.  
Xania turned her head away from the door. "I'm not crying."  
"Oh, I see. And that is why your pillow is wet?" Mozenrath asked sarcastically.  
"Leave me alone. I'm fine."  
Mozenrath was about to turn around and leave when he saw the medallion in her hand.  
"What's that?"  
Xania struggled to regain her composure.  
"Nothing." She sniffled.  
He approached her, and took it out of her hands. "A curse medallion! Where did you get this?!"  
"Nowhere."  
The sorcerer grabbed his sister roughly by the arm, pulling her into a standing position.  
"Don't give me that! How did you get this?!"  
Xania winced as her brothers grip got tighter on her arm. "It was father's . . . ."  
Mozenrath released her. "Answer me when I ask you a question, and next time you won't get hurt," he said as she rubbed her soar arm.  
Xerxes wrapped his body around Xania's shoulders. "Master's sibling okay?"  
"I'm fine."  
"No you're not," Mozenrath stated.  
Xania turned to face him, her face red from crying. "Since when do you care about me?"  
"Who said I cared? I know what you went through, and I simply stated that you weren't 'fine'."  
She glared at him. "You have no idea what I've been through! Father never threw you around, and told you that you were worthless! You were always given anything you wanted because of your stupid magic! You've have your own kingdom for six years, while I've been traveling around the seven deserts in trading caravans! So, do *not* tell me you know what I've been through!"  
Mozenrath's temper flared. "No, I suppose not, sister. While you were living with our parents, I was studying endlessly day and night, never allowed to stop. Desdain tested my knowledge daily, and if I answered even one question incorrectly, I was beaten, cursed at, and locked in the rat infested dungeon to study more. I was pushed to know everything there is to know about magic. I spent years in libraries studying until I thought my eyes would fall out." He pulled off his gauntlet, revealing his skeletal hand. "I was forced to sacrifice *this* for power. So, no, sister, I suppose I don't know what you went through!" He turned to stalk out of the room, but Xania grabbed his good arm.  
"Wait! How did . . . Did Desdain...?"  
"It was part of my training," Mozenrath stated.  
Xania motioned for him to turn around to face her. When he obeyed, she gently took his skeletal hand in hers.  
"Does it hurt?"  
"A little now, but the pain increases when I use my magic."  
Mozenrath watched as his sister gently touched the bone. She seemed unafraid of it. She was more fascinated than afraid.  
"I'm sorry," she whispered. "I didn't know..."  
"Think nothing of it. We both went through similar hardships, and now we know it. In   
fact, I..."  
"You what?" Xania asked after a long pause from Mozenrath.  
He had a confused look on his face. "Let go of my hand for a moment."  
She obeyed, wondering what his reason was.  
"Now touch it again."  
"Why?" She asked as she obeyed.  
Mozenrath waited a moment. "There's no pain when you touch it. I wonder if..." He pulled away from her and looked around the room. Spotting a small hand mirror, he threw it to the ground, causing it to shatter. He picked up a piece of the glass with his skeletal hand, and made an inch-long cut into the skin of his good arm.  
"Mozenrath!" Xania gasped. "What are you doing?"  
"Come here," he commanded.  
She did as she was told.  
"Now, heal this."  
Xania almost laughed.  
"Heal? Mozenrath, have you gone crazy? I can't do magic and you know it!"  
"Just do it!"  
The girl warily placed her hand on the cut, and closed her eyes. She concentrated the way she had seen her father do so many times. After imagining the arm being restored, Xania opened her eyes. Mozenrath smiled as she removed her hand. The cut was gone!  
"No way!" Xania stuttered. "I couldn't have done that; you did it, didn't you?"  
The sorcerer shook his head. "I cannot heal. That is one of the things that I've yet to learn. You did it on your own."  
  
~~~~~~~~~~Later~~~~~~~~~~  
  
"That was you?" Xania giggled. "I had no idea..."  
Mozenrath smiled. "I also made the guards trip as they were marching when we visited Jafar in the palace."  
"I remember that! They were so mad that they couldn't walk straight! It was hilarious!"  
The siblings were sitting on Xania's bed, leaning against the headboard. Mozenrath sat with her on his right side, as she held his skeletal hand, relieving the pain.  
"The guards were so stupid. They actually believed that a water beast was attacking them."  
"I remember that too! The guards came running into the palace, babbling about some creature that attacked them! That was you?"  
Mozenrath laughed. "That was me. I'm surprised that they fell for it. My magic was horribly weak back then."  
Mozenrath looked down at saw Xexes sleeping on Xania's lap, noticing the happy expression on the eel's face.  
"You've always had a way with animals."  
Xania yawned as she looked down at Xerxes. "I love animals."  
Mozenrath nodded. "So I've noticed."  
"So...what have you been doing in this big citadel all by yourself? Who do you talk to besides Xerxes? Yourself?"  
"Sometimes." After Xania giggled, he continued, "Actually, I spend most of my time reading in my library. When I'm not reading, I'm going on some quest to recover some magical artifact."  
Mozenrath went on telling how he had discovered 'the hand in the sand', but lost it to Aladdin.  
"What was mother like? I hardly ever saw her when father took up my training..."  
Mozenrath trailed off when he saw Xania was fast asleep. He closed his eyes as well, and drifted off into the first painless sleep he had had in over seven years.  
  



	2. Chapter Two

"Now, concentrate."  
Xania sighed. "I did last time, and it didn't work."  
"You didn't concentrate hard enough. Now try again."  
Xania closed her eyes, and tried to make a ball of energy in her hands.   
A few purple sparks flew, but nothing else happened.  
"I can't do it," Xania pouted. "I've never been able to do it."  
Mozenrath came over to her, and took her hand in his.  
"Perhaps you're not used to having magic flow through your hands. Here." He sent a small amount of his bluish-black magic through her body.  
"Ow!"  
"Now, try to send that back to me," Mozenrath commanded, ignoring her cry of pain.  
Xania closed her eyes, and concentrated hard. Mozenrath felt a little magic flow to his fingertips.  
"It's a start. Try again."  
She tried again, this time sending a slightly larger amount of magic.  
"Better. Once more."  
Xania closed her eyes, and gave it all she had. Mozenrath smiled in satisfaction as the magic climbed slightly past his knuckles.  
"Excellent. You're making progress."  
Mozenrath's sister smiled as she released her brother's hand.  
"That's tiring. Did Destain make you practice like that?"  
"No. I was much more advanced than that when I came here. I learned the low level magic with father."  
"I wish I could have been able to learn magic with you and father. I could have lived here and been taught by Destane too."  
"Believe me, you wouldn't have wanted to know Destaine."   
"Why not?" When Mozenrath did not answer, Xania shrugged. "Well anyway, I'm going down to the kitchen. You want something?"  
"Maybe later. Go on. And don't make a mess."  
"I won't"  
Xania skipped off down the hall with Xerxes close behind.  
Mozenrath snorted in disgust. 'She still has too much energy. Hopefully it will be put to a good use in her magic,' he thought.  
The sorcerer had decided to attempt to teach his sister some basic magic and study her healing power in the process. She was slowly improving, but at least she was making progress. Their father hadn't been able to teach her at all. Mozenrath smiled, realizing he was able to teach when his father had not. Actually, he was finding it pleasurable to teach. It was something new that he had never had the opportunity to do.  
  
Xerxes flew into the room an hour later, and circled around the sorcerer.  
"We fix lunch."  
"Very well. Lead the way. But you two better have not distroyed the kitchen."  
When Mozenrath entered the dining hall, he was amazed to see the table set with plates of delicious-smelling food placed upon it.  
"Who taught you to cook?"  
Xania smiled as she stepped out of the kitchen, carrying a bowl of rice.   
"Mother taught me mostly. But I learned other recipes through our caravan. Sit down."  
Mozenrath obeyed, noticing that there were three plates on the table.  
"Who's that for?"  
"Why, Xerxes, of course!" Xania smiled.  
"No animals at the table," Mozenrath stated. "He hunts for rats around the citadel."  
"Well, this will be a treat for him, won't it?" Xania giggled, patting Xerxes on the head.  
The eel wrapped himself around her shoulders."Me like master's sibling."  
"You like anyone who feeds you," Mozenrath shot back. "Ungrateful flying slug."  
Xania scratched Xerxes' back before pouring some food into the plate she had set out for him. The eel launched himself from her shoulders, and practically dived into the food. Xania giggled at him as she walked over to her plate and gave herself portions of the food. Then she walked towards the other end of the long table and started dishing out food to her brother.  
"I can serve myself," he snapped, taking the bowl from her.  
"Suit yourself."  
Mozenrath glared at her, angry that he couldn't make -her- angry. The 'happy' family ate in silence, thinking their own thoughts.  
"So, what are we going to do after lunch?" Xania asked, taking the last bite of her meal.  
"Well, I don't know or care what you're going to do, but I am going to look through Jafar's spell books."  
"Can I go outside?"  
"I thought I just said that I don't care what you do."  
"Okay."  
Xania stood up, and walked down the hallway to the citadel's doorway.  
"Xerxes, go keep an eye on her," Mozenrath commanded.  
  
----------  
  
Outside, the land was just as dark - which was strange because it was the middle of the day. Xania sat under a tree, thinking her own thoughts.  
"Master's sibling okay?"  
Xania saw the eel come flying towards her.  
"I'm fine, Xerxes."  
He wrapped himself around her shoulders.   
"Does my brother always act so grumpy?"  
"Always."  
"Well, I say he needs an attitude adjustment. I don't know what his problem is, but he needs to fix it."  
A mamluck walked by, glancing at Mozenrath's sister as he passed. Xania shrank away from the undead servant, and wearily watched it pass.  
"That one was a slightly different color than the other mamlucks. Why?"  
Xerxes flew in front of Xania's face. "That Destain."  
  
------------------------------------------------------------------------  
  
Mozenrath looked through the old book carefully. One spell caught his eye. It said it was able to restore anything damaged. Mozenrath looked over the pages once more to be sure he had read it correctly and took off his gauntlet. He closed his eyes and chanted the magical words that he hoped would restore his skeletal hand.  
  
------------------------------------------------------------------------  
  
Xania watched as a errie blue light surrounded the mamluck. It grew brighter and brighter, and finally, the mamluck fell to the ground.  
"Um, are they supposed to do that?" she nervously asked Xerxes.  
Suddenly, something grabbed her from behind. Xania screamed, and Xerxes shouted in surprise as a hand grabbed him.  
  
------------------------------------------------------------------------  
  
Mozenrath growled angrily when he saw his hand had not changed.   
"Wretched book!" He shouted as he threw it across the room.  
A low voice from behind the sorcerer spoke: "Oh, Mozey, look at what a mess you've made of my library."  
A chill went up Mozenrath's spine as he recognized the voice. Turning around, he saw what he had feared.   
"Destain? How did you..."  
"Whatever spell you just tried restored me," he grinned. "Oh, and I believe this is yours." He motioned to someone behind him, and a guard entered the room caring a body. Mozenrath grew pale at the sight. There was Xania, with a dagger wound in her chest. She was dead.  
Destain smiled evilly. "Oh, so sorry, Mozey. I didn't know the little urchin meant anything to you." He produced a blood-stained dagger from behind his back and admired it. "She was quite easy to kill. It just took one stab . . ."  
"You lousy, flea ridden, decomposing jackal!" Mozenrath shouted. He launched himself at Destain, hurling magic at him.  
The older sorcerer knocked him down after deflecting his magic.  
"You thought you had rid yourself of me long ago, but now I'm back. Oh, and I'm going to make your life a living nightmare."  
Mozenrath glared at his old master, his face clearly showing the hate he had for him. "You'll pay for this. When I get a hold of you, I won't be so kind as to turn you into a mamluck. I'll simply kill you."  
"Dear boy," Destain laughed, "you will never get a second chance. I'll make sure of that. Kaval, take the girl's body away."  
A large man, who Mozenrath recognized as a former mamluck, carried Xania out of the room. The older sorcerer laughed at the expression on his former pupil's face.   
"What's the matter? Did you actually have feelings for your little sister? I thought you had been taught to care for no one. Going soft are you, Mozey?" A large black wolf strolled up to Destain, and licked his chops. "Oh, and your little flying eel made a tasty snack for my familiar."   
Mozenrath could do nothing but sit numbly as he absorbed all that had happened in just those few minutes.  
"Kaval? Lenat? Take little Mozey to his cell. Oh, and you won't be needing this anymore," Destain smirked as he hit Mozenrath with a blast of magic and then removed the gauntlet from his hand. "Don't worry. If you behave, I might consider turning you into a mamluck for a while - until I tire of you."  
"I'd rather die than serve you," Mozenrath growled.  
"So be it. Your execution will be tomorrow. I'll let your conscience drive you mad knowing that your spell killed the only family you had left."  
The large men drug Mozenrath to the dungeon, with Destain lurking behind.  
  
Destain grinned evilly as he watched Mozenrath being dragged away. He walked up the stairs and into the tallest tower of the citadel. He unlocked a door and stepped inside. Xania was sitting on the bed, with Xerxes around her shoulders.  
"What have you done to my brother?" Xania demanded.  
Destain smiled as he entered the room and locked the door behind him.  
"He's down in the dungeon. You should have seen his face when he  
saw you dead."  
"What are you talking about?"  
"Oh, not much. I only created a mirage of you with a dagger wound. He never did learn how to tell mirages from reality. He even believed his little eel was dead."  
Xania jumped up, and hit him as hard as she could. "You monster!" she shouted.  
Destain laughed, and threw her into the wall with a blast of his green magic.  
"Be warned, girl. It is not wise to anger one who has control over your fate as well as your brother's."  
Xania glared up at the sorcerer as he cackled evilly.  
"Mozenrath preferred his death over being a undead servant. I have scheduled his execution for tomorrow. And you, my pretty one," Desdain grinned, taking her chin in one hand "will meet your fate afterwards."  
He disappeared in a ball of green flames, leaving Xania alone with Xerxes.  
Xania looked around the room, looking for a way to escape. Spotting the window,she ran over to it and crawled out. Xania hung on to the ledge, looking for a foothold. When she found one, she slowly started moving away from the window.  
"Come on, Xerxes, we've got to save Mozenrath!"  
  
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Mozenrath sat in the dark prison, silently thinking about all he had lost because of one little spell gone wrong. His citadel, his kingdom, his power, Xerxes, and Xania . . . all had been brutally torn away from him in just a few hours. That horrible feeling of being alone crept over him. He hated that feeling. One of the reasons he had obtained Xerxes was because he hated being alone.  
Mozenrath watched a rat scurry across the floor of the dungeon as he absently drew a design in the sand with his skeletal hand. Desdain had taken away the gauntlet, so his magic was very weak, if he had any left at all.  
He had to get out of here somehow, and take Desdain by surprise. That was the way he had done it last time; he could do it again. Mozenrath stood and walked around the dungeon, looking for any weaknesses in the stone.  
  
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Xania let out a little shriek as she slipped on the slick roofing. She managed to catch herself before falling off of the citadel. Xerxes swam up to her.  
"You okay?"  
"I'm fine," Xania said as she pulled herself up. "Keep going."  
Xania looked below her. "Okay, where do we go now?" She noticed an open window just out of reach and pointed to it. "If we can get to that window . . ."  
"I carry you?" Xerxes offered.  
Xania smiled, "I think I'm a little too heavy for you."  
"No, I hold on back of dress, and carry you over."  
"Xerxes . . ."  
"I do that to master when he fall in evil black sand."  
"You've carried Mozenrath?" When he nodded, she looked at the window once more. "Okay. Let's try it."  
Xania held on as the eel grabbed the neck of her dress. When he signaled that he was ready, she slowly let go of the ledge. Xerxes lowered her gently towards the window.  
When she came within a few inches of it, she grabbed it and pulled herself inside. Xerxes let out a sigh of relief as he glided into Xania's arms.  
"Tired," he mumbled.  
"I know. So am I, but we've got to keep going."   
  
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"Curse this citadel!" Mozenrath shouted, kicking the wall.  
There were no secret passages anywhere, and he couldn't even hurl a bolt of magic to relieve his anger. He leaned back against a wall, and lowered himself to the ground. This was looking more and more hopeless by the hour.   
"If I do get out of this, I'm destroying all of my mamlucks. Starting with Desdain."  
  
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Destain's large wolf growled when it spotted the girl and the flying eel walking through the hallway. Xania gasped and bolted down another hall with Xerxes close behind. She darted into a side room and, finding no better hiding place, crawled underneath a table. Xerxes swam to her, wrapping himself around her shoulders. Only when they were sure the wolf had lost them, did they slide out.  
Xania looked around the room, seeing rows of books everywhere. "The library?" she asked Xerxes. When he nodded, she pulled out a book and flipped through its pages, hoping to find anything that she could use. Finding nothing useful in it, she put the book away and looked for anything else. She saw a small dagger on one of the bookshelves and picked it up, thinking she could at least defend herself against Destain's guards if they found them.   
Suddenly, a howl erupted from the hallway, and Xania and Xerxes darted under the table once more. Three guards ran into the library. They tore apart the room and found the girl and eel hiding under the wooden table. The wolf stood proudly in the doorway, watching the guards seize the victims.   
Remembering the dagger, Xania lashed out at a guard, managing to slice him on the arm. She got in a couple of good slashes before the weapon was knocked out of her hand and her arms were twisted behind her back. Xerxes bit at the guards, but was soon captured. The men dragged the girl out towards the throne room.   
Destain was on the throne, smiling as he watched the guards bring the prisoners to him. He stood as they approached him, and walked down to be face to face with Xania.   
"Well, well, well. What have we got here? An escape attempt? Through the window I suppose? I knew one might get out that way, but I didn't anticipate you being smart enough to figure it out." He laughed when Xania glared at him. "I suppose you might have a few brains in that pretty little head of yours. Guards, go board up that window and take these two back up to their room."  
Xania was marched back up to her room and thrown into it. She picked herself up off of the floor and walked over to the window again. It was covered with a piece of wood that was nailed to the inside.   
"We have to at least let Mozenrath know we're okay," Xania said as she tried to pull on the wood. It wouldn't budge.  
Xerxes flew up to her, circling her frantically. "Try magic! Try magic!"  
Xania obediently put her hands on the board and concentrated as hard as she could.  
"Come on, come on," she whispered  
The board gave way slightly, and a small space was created between  
the board and window.  
"Xerxes, can you fit through that?"  
The eel cautiously stuck his head through the hole, and tried to pull his body through.  
"Too small!" he whispered.  
"Hang on, Xerxes." Xania pulled on the board, and pushed on him, finally managing to squeeze the eel through the small space.  
"I out!"  
"Okay, find Mozenrath. Let him know we're okay. Stay with him, but don't let anyone else see you. Oh, and try not to scare him to death; he thinks you're dead."  
Xerxes nodded as he flew off towards the dungeons. Xania sat on the bed, trying to think of how she could get to her brother. Her magic was much too weak to do anything big. Perhaps there was a secret panel in the wall that would lead her somewhere.  
  
Hours passed, and still she found nothing. As Xania continued to look around, Desdain unlocked her door and stepped in.  
"There are no secret passages in this part of the citadel, if that is what you're looking for," he stated.  
Xania quickly turned around to face the sorcerer. Desdain's black wolf gracefully walked into the room, and sat at his master's left side.  
Desdain frowned at her. "You know, if you continue to attempt escaping, I might have to execute you along with your brother." He produced Xerxes from behind his back, who had blood dripping down his body. "And I believe this is yours." The eel weakly lifted himself into the air and swam over to Xania.  
"He's lucky I found him before my familiar destroyed him," Desdain said heartlessly. Noticing the hole in the board on the window, he sent a blast of his magic towards it.  
"No, no, no. We can't have any of that." When the magic dissolved, there was no window left; it had turned into a solid wall.  
"Good day to you, sister of Mozenrath. Perhaps if you behave, I'll let you watch your brother's execution." He grinned as he and his familiar walked out the door. Desdain locked it behind them.  
Xania heard Desdain command his wolf to guard her door, and to alert him if anything alarming happened.  
Carrying Xerxes, Xania sank to the floor, tears spilling from her eyes.  
"This isn't fair!" she cried, "I finally find my brother, and now I loose him two days after I find him!"  
Xerxes squirmed in her arms. "I hurt," he moaned.  
"Oh, Xerxes, I forgot I could heal. Here, hold still." Xania concentrated, and soon, the bleeding had stopped, but the cuts remained. "That's all I can do. The rest will have to heal on its own."  
Ignoring the eel flying happily around the room, she walked over to the wall where the window used to be. After wiping her tears away, she placed her hands on the wall and threw out a small amount of purple magic. Nothing happened.  
"Mozenrath's got only a few more hours to live. He's going to be executed in the morning. Maybe, if I use my magic on it all night, the window will return and we can crawl out again."  
"Sound good," Xerxes agreed.  
"All right. I'll get to work on the window, and you can look around the room for any secret passages in case Destain was lying about them."  
  
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Mozenrath sighed. He had given up. There was no way out. He was cold and wet from the rain leaking in from the barred windows and had no desire to try to escape any more. The sorcerer   
leaned against the cold, hard wall and closed his eyes. There was no hope of surviving this.  
  
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The sun was starting to rise when Xania dropped to the floor in exhaustion.  
"This isn't working!" she shouted in frustration. She pounded her fists on the wall and started crying. Xerxes glided over to her, wrapping himself around her shoulders to comfort her. "Try again?"  
"No. I can't do magic. I never could do magic and I never will be able to do magic."  
"But master teach you. You got better."  
Xania sighed. "Yeah, but . . ." She stopped in mid sentence when a drop of liquid hit her on the head. She looked up to see a wet spot in the ceiling. "Praise Allah!" she shouted, jumping to her feet. "Xerxes, help me pile stuff under that spot. There must be a rotten board up there!"   
They pushed the furniture around and soon they had a tower of it reaching up to the ceiling. Xania carefully climbed to the top while Xerxes kept close so that he could catch her in case she should fall. When she reached the top, she pounded her fists on the wet spot on the ceiling, causing pieces to break off.   
"Yes!" Xania said as she continued breaking off pieces.  
Soon, the hole was large enough for Xania to slip though. She jumped up and crawled through the hole, with Xerxes close behind. Xania did not wait to catch her breath; she crawled out onto the ceiling, and hung onto the ledge, looking for a foothold.  
"Come on, Xerxes, the sun is rising higher. Desdain will be taking Mozenrath to the executioner's block."  
  
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Mozenrath was awakened by the sound of the dungeon door being flung open. Desdain sent a burst of magic hurling towards Mozenrath, which dissolved into shackles that locked onto his wrists.  
"Rise and shine, little Mozey," Desdain grinned. "It's execution time!"  
  
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Desdain smiled in satisfaction as he marched Mozenrath up the narrow stairs to the executioner's block.  
Mozenrath stopped as Desdain's familiar ran towards them.  
"What's this?" Desdain said, agitated. "You're supposed to be on guard duty."  
After trying to understand what the wolf was trying to say, Desdain frowned even deeper.  
"They've escaped? How? I blocked off all the passageways. The eel couldn't slip through any of the holes in the building..."  
"Eel?" Mozenrath questioned, looking back at his old teacher. "Xerxes?"  
Desdain smiled evilly. "Yes. And you little sister too. They aren't dead."  
"But...the body..."  
"A mirage, boy. Gave you quite a scare, didn't I? Apparently your sister and your familiar escaped somehow, but no matter. We will hunt them down after we kill you."  
Mozenrath instinctively made a fist with his skeletal hand.  
"You lousy jackal!" He hurled all of the magic he had collected in his hand at the older sorcerer, but because he was not wearing his gauntlet, only a few small sparks came out.  
"You are nothing without your gauntlet, boy," Desdain laughed as Mozenrath's magic faded before it touched him. "Why don't you just face the facts? You are defeated."  
Mozenrath skowled as he was marched out of the citadel. Xania would try something here. She wouldn't have escaped if she hadn't planned to try to free him. Where was she? Had Desdain lied about she and Xerxes being alive?  
Desdain hit Mozenrath with a powerful surge of green magic that knocked him to his knees. When the ringing in his head stopped, he saw that his old master had made him kneel in front of the chopping block.  
Desdain smiled evilly as he held Mozenrath in place and held a large blade in the air with his magic.  
"Any last words, little Mozey?"  
Mozenrath was about to shout a few curses at the man, when he saw a small, feminine figure behind Desdain. She held a finger to her lips as she snuck behind him.  
"Well, my dear old teacher, I'd just like to thank you for instructing me in magic all those years...and advising me to wear the gauntlet."  
"Ah, yes, the gauntlet," Desdain smiled. He made it magically appear in his hand, and looked it over. "You must be grateful to be rid of it. The horrible thing must have been painful."  
Xania crept towards the sorcerer, and waited silently behind him.  
"Well, I'm afraid you time here is over, Mozey," Desdain announced. "Prepare to meet your doom."  
Before he could do anything, Xania grabbed the gauntlet from him. Desdain whirled around and spotted the thief.  
"YOU!"  
The blade dropped, but not before Mozenrath moved out of the way. Desdain grabbed Xania, and she threw the gauntlet in the air.  
"Xerxes, catch!" she shouted.  
The eel caught the glove sailing through the air, and tossed it to Mozenrath. It hit the ground at his feet. He swiftly placed it on his hand, and the shackles melted from his wrists and fell to the ground.  
"Sweet revenge," he smiled.  
"Not so fast, boy," Desdain snarled. "I have something you might be interested in."  
Mozenrath looked up to see Xania's shoulders being held tightly by his old teacher.  
"Give me the gauntlet, and you can have the girl," Desdain said roughly. To make his point, he sent a wave of magic through Xania. She gritted her teeth against the pain.  
"Come on, Mozey." Desdain taunted. "You know how much it hurt when I did this to you. Do you really want her to suffer like that?"  
When Mozenrath didn't answer, a stronger wave of green magic went through the girl and she let out a cry of pain.  
Mozenrath glared as he held out his gauntleted hand. "Here, take it."  
"I'm not stupid, boy. Take it off yourself and hand it to me."  
He pulled the gauntlet off of his skeletal hand and held it out to Desdain. The older man grabbed it and grinned evilly down at the girl in his arms. He sent a powerful surge of magic through her body and then released her as she let out a small cry and fell unconscious to the ground.  
"Now, where were we?" the sorcerer said as he grinned at Mozenrath's angry face. "Ah, yes. I was about to kill you, wasn't I, Mozey?" He stepped over Xania's motionless body and advanced towards his former student. A blast of green magic hit Mozenrath, sending him flying backwards several feet. He picked himself up and dodged another blast that was coming straight for his head.   
Behind the commotion, Xerxes was nudging Xania's face as she fought to regain consciousness. The girl groaned and sat up, gasping when she saw the flashes of green magic directed at her brother. She looked around for any way to help, her gaze finally falling on the gauntlet in Desdain's hand.  
"Xerxes, get the gauntlet," she said weakly as she struggled to stand up.   
He obediently swam over to the sorcerer and snatched it from him. The eel tossed the gauntlet to Xania, and it landed at her feet.  
Destain growled as he turned to face the girl. "You are beginning to get annoying, little witch."  
Doing the only thing she could think of, Xania grabbed the gauntlet and after hesitating a moment, put it on her hand.   
Instantly, an enormous surge of pure white energy engulfed the gauntlet and her body, momentarily blinding everyone. She let out a screech as an overwhelming burning sensation ripped through her body. As the light dimmed to a faint glow and then flickered out, Xania wearily dropped to her hands and knees, gasping for air. Taking advantage of the two men being in shock at the magical display, she raised her gauntleted hand and sent a blast of purple magic hurling at Desdain. It knocked him several feet in the air, and he landed on his back on the sand. Mozenrath, just then regaining his wits, stood and ran over to Xania.  
"Get that thing off, NOW!" he shouted.  
Xania collapsed, exhausted from her magical outburst. Mozenrath caught her just before she hit the sand. He knelt beside her and practically ripped the gauntlet off of her hand.   
"NEVER put this thing on! Do you understand me?!" he demanded, supporting her head with one arm and waving the gauntlet in her face with the other. "This thing will distroy you! Don't you EVER touch it again!"   
"Since when do you care about me?" she asked, smiling.  
Mozenrath ignored her question, pretending to be more interested in Desdain's unconscious form. He gently laid his sister's head on the sand and strutted over to the older man. He smiled sarcastically as he held out his hand.  
"Here, let me help you up, old friend."  
Desdain, just then starting to regain consciousness, growled as he grabbed at the gauntlet, but before he could pull it off, Mozenrath sent a large wave of bluish-black magic through him. Desdain, not expecting the attack, yelled in pain. Mozenrath glared at his old master.  
"Don't -ever- call me Mozey."  
In a bolt of magic of enormous power, Desdain and the former mamlucks were nothing more than piles of black dust, hardly noticeable in the swirling black sand.  
Mozenrath wearily dropped to his knees, his whole body burning from the blast. He felt totally drained. That had taken a lot out of him.  
Xania made her way over to him, and dropped to her knees at his side.  
"Are you okay?"  
"Could be better," Mozenrath groaned.  
"Here, let me heal you."  
Xania started to try her magic, but her brother stopped her.  
"No. You've already used way more magic than you're used to. You're going to kill yourself if you do much more."  
"But, you're hurt."  
Mozenrath shook his head. "I'll be fine."  
Xania hugged her brother tightly as she looked over the black soot that had been Desdain. As she did so, Mozenrath started to pull away in discust, but he stopped as he felt an odd sensation in his chest. Something he hadn't felt in a long time. It wasn't a pain, although his chest was also burning from his magic. It was more of a pleasurable feeling. Could it be the peace knowing that his former master was gone forever? Or was it something more than that? Whatever it was, he remembered had not felt it in a very long time.  
Mozenrath sighed as he awkwardly hugged her back with his good arm, feeling somewhat foolish. But somehow, the kingdom didn't seem quite so empty anymore. Perhaps Xania had been the special magic he had been searching for.  
"You know," Xania said as she smiled up at her brother, "now that all the mamlucks are gone, you are going to have to hire actual -live- guards and servants. Unless you plan to do all their jobs yourself."  
"Perhaps," Mozenrath commented and smiled. "However, there is always an alternative. We just have to find it. Care to join me in the study?"  
Xania released her grip on her big brother and took off towards the citadel.  
"Race ya!"  
Mozenrath smiled as he watched his sister's retreating form. He then used the last bit of his energy to open a black hole in the air and transport himself to the library.  
As the black sand covered up the siblings' deceased enemy, the citadel echoed with a sound it hadn't heard in many years . . . laughter.  
  



End file.
